First Chemo Session.

By peaches Thursday, January 24, 2008

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Well, i did it. Went through the first of my 6 Chemo sessions. Can anyone tell me if it gets worse than this? Five days after the treatments, i got so sick. I had every one of the symptoms and now, day 12, i only feel slightly better. There are moments when i just can't move unless it is to stagger to the bathroom for another bout of vomiting or diarea. Will i go throught this with every session or will my body adjust to this stuff? My husband is so supportive and cares for me like a baby.

This just isn't fair to him. Unless there is some hope that this will get just a tiny bit easier, i don't know if i can go through with it. My odds are not all that great even with Chemo and i'm a firm believer in quality of life. Any words of encouragement???

Peaches just left for another bathroom session. I told her that she should get on this website again and ask a few questions. She is so sick and is loseing her will to fight. Thanks for your help keeping my girl on the right track.

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purplemoonmom

1/25/08 9:09am

Hi Peaches,

Your story jumped out at me because I just finished 4 rounds of AC chemo on August 1st. And I too, had a terrible time with nausea and vomiting. We tried nearly ever anti-nausea drug known to man (I even got to try Marinol which is medicinal marijuana in pill form) and nothing was able to quell the puking. I wish I could paint a prettier picture but I can't. Note though, that you may be able to find something that will work for you. After all this is only your first session. Advocate for yourself and ask if there is something different/better/stronger to take. Because there is.

So here are a few things that helped me...

Accept the fact that this whole ordeal sucks big time, but that thousands and unfortunately millions have gone through this same thing and have come out on the other end. This too shall pass. Doomsday feelings and the yearning to give it all up are common but pushing through is one of the most rewarding things you can do for yourself. I have two young children and a husband I adore and these were 3 big reasons I pushed on through.

Also, accept help in any form it comes. It's about you right now. Don't worry about your husband and all he has to do. His being able to help you is exactly what he needs. My husband was at a loss and the few times I was able to say what I needed (i.e. please don't fry bacon in the kitchen, or can you lower the TV volume, or can you remake the bed with new sheets because I've drooled all over my side and it's wet.)he was elated that he could actually do something that was helpful to me. And one last thought, or recommendation rather, is to keep checking in here and read what other folks are saying. We are your sisters now. We know all about what you are going through and feeling. Keep posting when you feel well enough because there's somebody out there that needs to hear your story also!

The best to you Peaches!

Love,Laurie

Poteet

1/25/08 9:52am

Dear Peaches spouse-

This is the point where you may need to stand up for her. Ger her agreement then call her onc. Tell them how very sick she is, see if there are other anti-nausea drugs she can try, inlucing some dissolvable ones that don't actually hit her tender tummy. I know some of them are terribly expensive, but there are also organizations out there that can help with the rx costs. Keep calling until they find one that offers her some relief.

If she's down, physically or mentally read these posts to her. I just finished round four and although it never got 'good', it did get a little easier to tolerate each time. The very fact that she found this site means she still has fight in her. Remind her of that.

I know it's tough on you. Watching a spouse fight a terrible physical battle is tougher sometimes than fighting it yourself. Yes, I speak from first-hand experience.

Take care of yourself and her and know that she can do this and we are all sending thoughts and prayers.

koponen

1/25/08 1:43pm

Peaches,

It may take time...but it will get better...or maybe easier to handle...either way there will be improvement...all of the support on this website is what helped me the most...reading the shareposts...talking to other women going through the same thing...find those that you relate to and contact them personally...that is what I did and they all responded. There is so much love, inspiration, help that you can hang on to during the rough times....

I have been and always will be grateful to these women...they are here for you and so am I...we are all in this together so you hang in there. Both Poteet and Purplemoon Mom have written some great advice...ask the doctors for different meds...it is just your first time...it took a couple of times for them to find the "mix" that worked for me, too. Read some of the older shareposts...there are great stories there of women going through the same thing and how they dealt with it. That helped me...hopefully it will help you, too.

Take care,

Koponen

Phyllis Johnson, Health Guide

1/28/08 7:02pm

Dear Peaches,

If you are scheduled for chemo every 21 days, then you are at the bottom of the cycle and will probably gradually start feeling better until it's time to start again. Please do let your doc know how very nauseated you are. There are lots of different anti-nausea meds, and if one isn't working for you, another might. I found that it was important for me to stay away from food smells and to take the meds before I started throwing up. On a rather gross note, I found that I was much more comfortable sitting on the commode puking into a bowl instead of the more usual "kneeling before the porcelain throne" position. As to whether you'll gain tolerance, that varies from person to person. I threw up on Treatments #1 and #3 of Adriamycin/Cytoxan with just queasiness on treatments #2 and #4. I had no nausea with my four Taxol treatments. So in my case, there was no pattern.

I don't know what your doctors told you about your chances, but although my chances weren't very good, it seemed important to me to leave my kids a legacy of a mom who tried to get well. As an inflammatory breast cancer patient in 1998, my chances were about 43% three year survival chance and 25% ten year survival. I'm happy to report that I haven't had a recurrence and fully expect to celebrate my 10th anniversary of diagnosis in April with no evidence of cancer.

Phyllis Johnson

SandraCorliss

1/30/08 2:11pm

When I went for my first round of chemo it knocked me on my ***. I didn't get used to it but the doctor's noticed that my blood cells were very low. chemo kills fast growing cells that's why we lose our hair, well blood is part of that. chemo doesn't know the difference between healthy cells and cancer. They gave me a shot called neulasta and that made my bones produce more blood, but it will make your bones ache. They gave me emmend and ativan for nausea and stress.

Hope I helped, your body is fighting a war make sure you rest.

mary brogan

2/ 5/08 2:43pm

Hi Peaches,

I also had my first chemo treatment on 1/24/08. I'm in day 14. Out of the 14 days I've been out of my bed 3 of them. I've been lucky, no stomach sickness. I used a drug called EMEND given to me an hour before treatment, and the next 2 days after treatment. They also gave me something by IV. I had low grade fever for 5 days. I feel like I'm never going to be myself again. I hate it. Ask about the Emend and keep in touch.

Mary

Ginger Vick

2/18/08 11:01pm

Talk to your doctor about how sick your getting and ask about decreasing the dosage of your chemo. Meds can be given for the nausea. I'm now finishing up my treatments for my third time with breast cancer. I got sick after getting Taxotere. The dosage was decreased and I didn't have problems getting sick with the rest of the treatments. I know the treatments are not easy, but hang in there. You can make it. Your not alone in this battle. I also have a wonderful husband who has been a great caregiver. We've been blessed. I takes a special kind of man to handle this.

KayeD

3/ 9/08 3:59pm

Hi Peaches:

I finished radiation (4 A/C and 4 Taxol) on Dec 27. My experience, and this is not everyone's, was that the side effect drugs did not work very well on me. I was sick with both drugs for anywhere from 5-7 days after chemo. My doctors tried very hard to find something that would work to ease my symptoms and other than the initial doses of steroids they gave me (on the day of chemo), nothing really worked other than drugs to put me to sleep so at least I slept well at night and could go to work the next day.

Also, for me, it was a cummulative effect. It built and built and built and by the last session on Dec 27, I was in very miserable condition. The A/C made me horribly sick to my stomach and unable to eat. The Taxol gave me incredible body pain and because of that, I didn't want to eat.

NOW - THIS MAY NOT BE YOUR EXPERIENCE. I'm the kind of person who likes to know what might hit me so I can be mentally prepared. I went into chemo completely blind. No peers had experience with cancer, or if they did, they'd not had chemo.

Hang in there, you WILL GET THROUGH THIS. YOU HAVE TO. That is the only way you can think.

Dana

8/19/10 12:07am

I READ MOST OF THE POST, MY MOTHER IS GOING THROUGH HER 1ST TREATMENT TODAY, SHE ASKED US NOT TO GO WITH HER ONLY MY FATHER WILL! IM GLAD TO HEAR ALL THE SUCCESSFUL FIGHTS AGAINST CANCER. MY MOM IS DOING REALLY FINE RIGHT NOW, BUT SHE OFTEN TALKS TO US ABOUT HOW SHE FEELS TWARDS CANCER, SHE PROCEEDS WITH OUR LIFES AS IF THERES NOTHING, WHICH IM GLAD THAT IT DIDNT AFFECT HER LIFE AND SHE ALWAYS THANK GOD THAT SHE FOUND OUT ABOUT IT IN AN EARLY STAGE. I JUST WANT TO KNOW HOW CAN I HELP HER? WHAT CAN I DO TO MAKE THIS EASIER ON HER?

THANKS AND HOPE YOU ALL FEELING BETTER NOW AND ENJOYING UR LIFE

PJ Hamel, Health Guide

8/19/10 3:14am

Dana, love and patience are a great combination. Sounds like she's being careful to try to keep your life "normal," yet she's still talking to you about cancer. That's great; if you can just be there to listen (offering advice if asked, but without arguing about treatment), that will be a huge help to her. Understand that there will be days when she doesn't feel well, or simply feels very fatigued; she may not be able to do everything she once did. On those days, you might offer to make dinner (or bring takeout) so she doesn't feel she has to cook. This may also be the best option if she goes through periods of queasiness or nausea.

Bototm line: be there for her. Listen. Don't try to take over her life, but be willing to help, however she wants you to, when she needs it. Take care, and best of luck to you all - PJH

First Chemo Session.

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